Former Chiefs WR Publicly Accepts Pay Cut to Return Amid Banged-Up WR Room
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 17, 2025
Mecole Hardman broke his silence in a brief sideline interview after a private workout in Arizona, saying he is willing to cut his salary to rejoin the Chiefs as injuries thin Kansas City’s receiving corps.
“Kansas City has always been my home; I’ll show up whenever they need me. If taking a pay cut is what it takes to come back and wear the Red and Gold again, let’s do it. I hope I can help the Chiefs while the WR room is hurting,” Hardman said.
Pressed on “why the Chiefs and why now,” Hardman pointed to familiarity and immediacy: he knows Andy Reid’s playbook, the cadence and checks at the line with Patrick Mahomes, and the spacing rules in Kansas City’s motion-heavy quick game and play-action concepts. He added that his perimeter blocking and willingness to work the dirty areas can steady the run game while the offense rides out the injury wave.
Asked about money, Hardman declined specifics but indicated he would entertain a short, team-friendly structure heavy on performance bonuses—snap counts, receptions, yards, and touchdowns—so the club preserves cap flexibility while he earns his way back into a bigger role.
On role and usage, Hardman framed himself as a “trust player” who can line up outside or in the slot, win leverage on third down, stretch safeties vertically, and serve as a reliable red-zone piece on designed touches. His speed and willingness to block, he said, are “day-one” contributions that don’t require a long ramp-up.
Beyond the X’s and O’s, Hardman noted the locker-room value of a familiar voice during an injury crunch: reinforcing details in meetings, tempo on the practice field, and standards for the younger receivers. “It’s about doing the little things right when the room is stretched thin,” he said.
If talks advance, routine steps would follow: medicals, role alignment with the coaching staff, and incentive triggers tied to usage and production. Should both sides find common ground, Hardman could be a plug-and-play veteran presence as Kansas City navigates a banged-up stretch at wide receiver.
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